Composite bench.



S H. GARTRELL.

COMPOSITE BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. i916.

Lp/@o Paten@ Apr, ,24y i917.,

y z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

VVENTOR.'

Saler/Z5 jf. @fi/fdl,

A TTORNEY.

` S. H. GARTRELL.

COMPOSITE BENCH. APPLlcATloN FILED FEB.1,1916.

L Z, l Z UZ. my W mf Ww A h a P l/V 5. my? A E 0%, m @W L# ATTORNEY.

STERNE H. GARTREL'L, F KNSAS ClY, MSS'URE.

COMPOSE'EE BENCH.

Application iled February "Z, i916.

To all whom ztmay concern:

Be it known that l, 'STERNE H. GARTRELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of dackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Composite Benches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to benches, and embodies a composite structure of wood, steel and concrete; and my objects are to provide a strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive structure sufhciently ornamental to adorn private and public lawns, and one which may be used to advantage in a'commercial way for the display of advertising' matter, ete. rlhe invention also embodies means for illuminating the. bench at night.

ln order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now-be made` to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the bench.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of the reinforced concrete ends of the bench.

Fig. 3 'is a broken detail section of an upper corner of the bench.

Fig. d' is an irregular section on line llV-Il'of Fig. 3. y

Fig.' 5 is an end elevation, partly broken aWayand in section of a modified form of the invention illustrating various Ways of securing the front and rear rails and the back planks in position;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the end member of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of .a still further Way of securing a plank; and

Fig. 8 'is a viewsimilar to Fig. 7 of a still further modified form of plank securing means With use of the form of plank shown in Fig. 7.

l designates the bench which may be made in different sizes as required.

2 designates the concreteimembers, which in the present instance embody legs 3, arms 4 and backs 5. Said concreteend members 2 may be reinforced in any suitable manner, but I prefer to reinforce each with a pair of continuous rods 6 bent as disclosed by Fig. 2, and connected at various points with tierods 7 and stirrups 7a.

` Oblong openings 8, 9 and 10 are left in the end members 2 to receive the reduced terminals of seat planksll, back planks 12,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2d, will?. Serial No. 76,804.

mg the concrete end members 2 in upright position. All of said planks may be of Wood, reinforced concrete, or other suitable material.

All of the planks have shoulders le, which abut the inner surface of the end members 2, While the reduced terminals of said planks have openings l5, through which wedges 16 are driven to bear against the outer surface of the end members 2 and irmly clamp the same between said Wedges and the shoulders 14, so that the planks cannot shift longitudinally in the end members 2. When desired the shoulders 14 may be omitted and wedges 16a be substituted therefor, to coact with the Wedges 16 inclamping the end members 2 in position.

17 designates a sheet metal back secured to the back planks l2, to form a suitable surface for advertising matter, which may be paintedy orothervvise applied thereto. The upper and lower margins of the sheet metal back 17 lap the adjacent edges of the planks l2 to prevent vandals from marring said edges by vvhittling the same with a penknife. The edges of the other planks may be protected in a like manner. lf a large advertising surface is desired the sheet metal back 17 may be of suiicient size to reach from the uppermost back Aplank l2 to the 4bottom of the rail 13.

Openings 18 are left in the concrete end members 2 to lighten and ornamentthe same and for further ornamentation said end members may be given either a smooth or a rough finish and colored in imitation of" various kinds of marble. The appearance of the structure is further enhanced by the projecting terminals of the planks and the Wedges extending therethrough which give it a mission type appearance.

19 designates a hood hinged or otherwise seeuredto each concrete end member 2 .and provided at one side with a longitudinal slot 20 through which light rays from an incandescent or other lamp 21, beneath the hood, ma shine and illuminate the bench.

lili the modified form disclosed by Figs. 5 and 6, various Ways are shown forsecuring the planks to the concrete end members. 2a. For instance, one of the back planks l2a is secured in plaoeby bolts 16 adapted to pass through said plank and the upper portion of the member 2, While the other back plank i2a-is shown secured in place by a bolt 16e passingtherethrough and threaded into a nut 16d embedded in the concrete.' The front and rear rails 13a are shown secured in place by plugs 16h driventhrough openings in the concrete, after Which said openings are plugged with putty 16E or suitable material which may be removed to give access to the plugs 1Gb should it become necessary to remove the rails 13a. As disclosed by Fig. 6, cavities 12b and 10a, instead ci2 openings 9 and 105 are provided to receive the back planks i2@ and the rails 13a, respectively.

ln the modilied form, Fig. T., one ofthe seat planks 12C is shoivn fitted into a recess vin the end member 2C and held there-in byy wedge 16gn The shoulders are spaced a suliicient distance from tee adjacent end of the plank to allow said end to pass through an opening in the concrete member Q@ as disclosed by Fig. 8 in case a bench of less length than that provided by ldig. is desiredn From the foregoing description it is obvious that .l have produced a bench embodying all of the features of advantage above enumerated, and one which is practically nondestructible as the bench may be turned over either forward or backward without injury to the concrete end members 2. owing to the fact that the continuous re- (i are so placed as to resist all to which said end meminforcing rods strains or stresses bers may be subjected irrespective of the p0- sition they occupy., IEhe life of the planks il, 12 and 13 may be greatly prolonged by treating them with any of the Well-known decay-resisting preservatives.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that l have produced a bench einbodying all of the features of advantage above enumerated, and while I have shown the preferred embodiment of the invention L' reserve the right to make suchchanges in the construction, combination and arrangement o parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, l lclaim and ent, is:

in a bench, end members, rails connecting the end members, seat forming planks and back planks alsoconnectingfthe end members, and a metal sheetJ extending across the rear faces of the back planks and having its top and bottom edges bent outwardly and engaged over the top and bottom edges of the back planks and having its ends engaged with the inner faces of Jthe end members to hold the metal sheet against movement.

in testimony whereof l affix my signature in the presence of tivo witnesses.

STERNE El. GARTRELL.

n what desire to secure b v Letters Pat- -Witnesses t FRED C. Fiscnmz, L. FISCHER. 

